Life after Achilles Tendonitis/Bursitis?

Had my best running season ever last year -- completely injury free, getting stronger and faster, ran my first 10K race, my first half, placed in almost every event I was in! Life was good!

After my last race of the season in December 2012, husband and I out for a slow 8 miler and the bottom of my left heel suddenly got sore -- enough so I went forefoot and he noticed it. Came home and chalked it up to old shoes. Hadn't even been logging many miles so that had to be it. Got new shoes. Persisted.

Stopped running entirely and did only Yoga and tried to be patient and RICE. No improvement.

Blamed a new pair of boots. Stopped wearing them and any other heels. No improvement.

Finally saw my Ortho surgeon who did my peroneal repair surgery three years ago to rule out SFX or something. He said insertional Achilles tendinitis unknown origin. Gave me mobic for a month. Stay off running and go to some PT. Did a few PT sessions and then continued at home because of cost and bad insurance. Follow-up six weeks later, in March. He says go run start slow yada yada. I did. No change.

Start heating up both feet before every run and giving ice baths after every run. Stick rolling, heel drops, you name it. Go to the ART guru of our area. He says I have extremely mobile and flexible feet and I'll be fine and have no more problems. Also got two 1-hour deep tissue massages a week apart, concentrating on lower back to feet.

A little bit of improvement, but not resolution. Start running less forefoot and more midfoot. Seems to help SOME. But if I run any hills or any speed at ALL (running almost 1.5 minutes slower than last year) I get into trouble.

Went to acupuncturist last week. Have had two treatments. He says it will get better but take a long time. Both he and the Massage Therapist think there's sciatic involvement (and I did aggravate an old injury last summer lifting a sofa but got deep tissue and it was fine afterward).

Getting depressed and discouraged (and broke). Have a half in October that I never dreamed I'd still be babying this for but can't get past a long run of 8 miles right now without fear of setbacks.

sorry for long post -- but is Achilles something you are just stuck with for life? Anything I've missed (I can't imagine) in trying to resolve it? Any input appreciated.

For me the Archilles pain was from transitioning from a heel strike to a forefront/mid foot strike. I ran fine for many months then one day pain.

After a lot of work (docs, chiro, massage) I came to the conclusion that it was likely how I was forced to run with the mid foot strike.

With that strike I put a lot of pressure on my calf/archilles holding my weight (while with a heel strike its all on the leg). With the mid foot strike my calf is holding my weight the entire stride. It was too much for my archilles and calf.

I changed back to the heel strike and almost instantly the pain was gone (I think I ran one run with some discomfort but that was it). Now I work to NOT push off on my foot...so very little calf engagement in my run. I even minimized it on hills when training for my trail HM but I'm starting to build that up very gradually...or I will when I recover from my current knee injury (damn heel strike form ).

It sounds like your Achilles just doesn't care for the constant pressure your stride demands of it. Try simply propelling forward with no push off or no major change in the flex of your foot. sort of roll forward. Try it on uphills too (I was only engaging my upper legs and not pushing off from my toe).

Anything is possible! I got the SFX which tore the tendon due to too much shoe forcing a heel strike. After the surgery I went into Nike Frees (that was February of 2010 and back running in June slowly) and went on about life. When I first started back I was terrified to heel strike. I tried Chi type running and immediately had barking calves so I just went back to running however my foot wanted to and things were great until this past December. It may be too much forward, though. Currently running in Altra Ones and Izumi Pearl Emotions (alternating every run). Going to definitely continue to focus on keeping my feet under me and shorter strides, too. It's such a frustrating puzzle!

These things are so frustrating - especially when you've been patient and tried so many things.

I've been on mobic for 2 weeks for inflammation under the small toe. I'm wondering if my dr. may extend it?

I had a very tight achilles over the winter and think it was from wearing boots (tons of snow this year). I think there's a clear association for me with boots and tight achilles. The tight achilles went away but I think put pressure on the outside of my foot compensating - thus the inflammation under the small toe joint.

You say that you can't get past 8 miles "out of fear. . ." Do you have symptoms at that point or are you just afraid to set it back?

On a scale of 1 to 10, I've not let this get anywhere above a 5 if that (have peroneal surgery and you'll understand. I never want that pain again so I have a healthy respect for injury).

In the mornings, I'm stiff to achy, depending on if I ran or walked a lot. When I heat it up, I'll start out with usually "tight" heels and maybe a burn. It goes away after the first mile and then things may or may not talk to me -- sometimes the inside of ankle, sometimes that bottom of heel, etc. (it really does move around and even go from foot to foot. ART guy thinks my brain is trying to figure it out and switching my gait around).

I don't let it reach PAIN, though. Twinges, tightness, a bit of a burn, yeah. On mile 6 of the 8-miler on Sunday, I was going up a hill (you can't run that far in my neighborhood without some gain) the burn came back and was approaching more an actual pain. So I immediately stopped and walked for a minute or two. Started out slower and then I was on the downhill and it was fine the rest of the way. I actually then walked to and from the park for a concert later that day, putting about 16 miles total on my feet. It wasn't bad the next day, to my surprise.

Yesterday I ran a 10K and not fast -- 9.40s when I was running 8:30s last year. I did NOT ice afterward because I was going to acupuncture and wanted him to see true conditions. Today they were crankier. Probably why. I just sent my daughter to Lowes and have two buckets. Going to do some contrast baths and see if that does anything. (Man, I remember when all I did was run and stretch. Sigh)

On the Mobic, everything I read about achilles is they have enough problems with blood flow and NSAIDs just make it worse so I've not taken any of them since I went back for the follow-up in March. And on the boots, mine were not for snow -- they were for fashion and now I hate them and gave them to my daughter just in case they were to blame!!!

Had plantar fac. in my late 20's and early 30's. Never severe but always there to a degree and made me really hold back during my prime years. Eventually went away! Got my mileage and intensity up in my forties with no set back.

I bring this up as it gets at something Pete Pfitzenger says in his book. Basically, the injury that set you back at one stage of your running will not necessarily do so later on. I take it as hope that we can get past SOME injuries and our body can make adaptations. Partly, I need to think like this or else I can feel very very down about my current injury. Hoping you guys do so as welll?

All we have is time, right? I did contrast baths this afternoon -- hadn't tried that before. Will give it a go for a while and see what happens and keep up the core and hip strengthening. Going to be hard in the Firecracker not to compare times to last year, but I will remind myself I am THERE and so that's half the battle!

You're trying too hard to fix it. My prescription to you is L3 all the way= laughter, leisure, and love. Take a month or two. Completely forget about running and exercise. Engross yourself in some positive deviation from your normal routine. Stress will persist an injury like this. Are you stressed? That would explain this

US military veteran. 30+ yrs. basketball, baseball, skiing, weights. Have endured myriad injuries and through natural healing & prayer overcome them. 46 yrs young and play basketball,weight train and run six days a week. "I can do ALL things through Christ who strengthens me." 6'2, 206 lbs. ps: iphone and iPad auto-correct are very error prone in Hoopla forum text editor

Have you considered midfoot striking w/ a shoe with a little bit of a heel-toe drop. The Altras are zero, maybe the Brooks Pureflows (4mm drop and some cushion) or something similar to take some of the stress off of your achilles but still allow you to midfoot stike. I assume the docs told you to stretch you hamstring and calves, but not the achilles?

SPC, I kinda pretty much did that from January through March. Yoga and Tai Chi. My life is always stressed (my line of work) but I ALWAYS have a good time and do my best to manage it. I am going to spend winter as a gym rat. I haven't done serious strength training since we lost our Y membership perk through my husband's job several years ago and I think it will be fun and good for me.

Ronniewo, maybe -- the Pearls are 4mm I think? I actually prefer the feel of the Ones because the Pearls have stiffer backs and anybody with insertional/bursa pain knows what that feels like -- ouch. I might go try a pair on this weekend, tho.

I am supposed to go back for acupuncture Monday. At $80 a pop (and he really said I should be going 2X a week right now) not sure how long I can do it. Will budget two more visits and see where I am.

Just an update for anybody who may be dealing with this too. Found a chiropractor through some running friends who gave me an incredible monthly rate for coming in as many times as I want for 30 days. He's been adjusting my feet, hips and low back. The first run after I saw him I broke 27 minutes for the first time since November.

I also found a new massage therapist who is a runner. She is amazing. She worked me over good and found tightness in my plantar on one foot and both glutes. At her suggestion I went and bought another foam roller (we had lost ours) and am rolling everything daily.

The Firecracker I went from 25:46 last year to 27:18 this year, dropping from 2nd to 4th in age. The person who took 1st both years did run it a minute slower this year and the two ahead of me didn't run last year so hard to say how much of it was the downpour and how much was not wanting to push it so I can run my next 5K on the 20th.

I did decide today to take my zero drops out of rotation for a few weeks and see what happens. I am going to stick to 3mm to 4mm and rotate two or three pairs of shoes and keep up the stretches, strengthening and mostly the patience.

Had a great 8-mile slow run today and things seem fine. If I can continue this path for the week, I'll push the long run up according to my half training plan!!

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